The Winners Revealed!

Media Release
Friday, 20 July

The Winners Revealed!

The 2nd annual New Zealand Bartender Magazine Bar Awards took Auckland by storm on Tuesday, 17 July at the Ballroom of the Hilton Hotel at the picturesque Princes Wharf.

The bar awards is the first awards ceremony dedicated to New Zealand’s bar and bartending industry and recognises the hard work of bar professionals over the last year. The gala dinner event was held on the first night of Auckland BarShow; with 15 awards presented over the evening. Over 300 of New Zealand’s leading bar professionals turned out for the festivities with guests traveling from Christchurch, Queenstown and Napier.

The attached PDF includes all the finalists in each category with the winners listed below. The seven finalists in each category were collated from thousands of trade votes submitted from all around New Zealand. The winners were then determined by a panel of industry professionals who cast their votes in August.

In addition, Spanton Media Group hosted the 2nd annual New Zealand Bartender Magazine’s Bartender of the Year Competition with the support of premium gin brand Bombay Sapphire. More than 40 of New Zealand’s finest bartenders competed on the day before Auckland BarShow sitting a gruelling written exam and an on the spot cocktail challenge. The Top Ten then returned on Tuesday morning for the final stage; a mixology demonstration which involved preparing two signature drinks for a panel of esteemed bartending luminaries. The winner, Nick Ravenhall from Corner Bar in Auckland won in a nail-biting victory and is now the proud owner of Bartender Magazine’s Bartender of the Year 07 title. Nick also won a trip to Sydney BarShow in September and a cash prize of $1000. When accepting the award, he said: “Winning Bartender of the Year has been an incredibly humbling experience and it is an honour I'm not sure I'm ready for.” Taking out second place was Riki Carter from the Matterhorn in Wellington, followed closely by Dickie Cullimore from Double Happy in Christchurch. Incidentally, these two bartenders placed second and third in 2006 in reverse order.

Taking out two awards on the night for the second year in a row was The Matterhorn in Wellington. This year they took out the prizes for ‘Bar of the Year’ and ‘ Best Drinks Selection’. Another big winner on the night was Suite in Auckland which took home two awards as well; one for Daniel Walker, the 2007 Bar Manager of the Year, and one for David Hawk, the 2007 Operator of the Year.

David Spanton, Managing Director of Spanton Media Group and Editor-in-chief of New Zealand Bartender magazine was excited by the turnout for the event and thinks it will continue to grow each year. “The New Zealand bar industry is going from strength to strength and the bar awards is a great way for the hospitality trade to get together and congratulate their peers for all their hard work and dedication,” he said, adding, “I look forward to doing it all again next year!”

THE WINNERS

Bartender of the Year
Winner: Nick Ravenhall, Corner Bar, Auckland
2nd place: Riki Carter, Matterhorn, Wellington
3rd place: Dickie Cullimore, Double Happy Christchurch

Bar of the Year
Matterhorn, Wellington

Bar Manager of the Year
Daniel Walker, Suite, Auckland

Wine Bar of the Year
Vivo Enoteca Cucina, Wellington

Pub of the Year
Galbraith’s Alehouse, Auckland

New Pub of the Year
The Living Room, Auckland

New Bar of the Year
Hawthorn Lounge, Wellington

Nightclub of the Year
Double Happy, Christchurch

Best Drinks Selection
Matterhorn, Wellington

Bar Team of the Year
Clooney, Auckland

Operator of the Year
David Hawk, Suite & Crow Bar, Auckland

Cocktail Bar of the Year
Mea Culpa, Auckland

Cocktail List of the Year
Hawthorn Lounge, Wellington

Best Music Offering
Sandwiches, Wellington

Best Bar Food
La Zeppa, Auckland

-ends-

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